


TM 27

by Androgynoise



Series: Dark Dreams in Paradise [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Multi, Polyamory, Post-Game, Triad - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 09:44:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11941482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Androgynoise/pseuds/Androgynoise
Summary: More domestic fluff! Starts with Guzma lamenting on the beach and then with he and the professors preparing for their day. Fluff all around!





	TM 27

    The sun was barely starting to rise over Melemele island, a pleasant ocean breeze sweeping gently over the sand. Guzma sat in the shaded corner of the beach under the cliffs to the West and watched the sunrise with a casual smile on his face. He hadn't bothered to get dressed properly in his usual attire, so he sat and watched in a tanktop and shorts. Ordinarily it was impossible to wake him even before noon let alone for sunrise, but he hadn't had much luck sleeping the night before. Every time he closed his eyes he thought of a familiar woman and he was filled with regret. He remembered the late night conversations about nothing and everything and the look on her face when they went their separate ways. His brow furrowed as an image of her face, eyes full of tears once again forced itself to the forefront of his mind. He willed himself to think of something else, trying to stay focused on the sunrise. That's what Hala had taught him, right? To ignore the things that stressed him out? He hadn't used the word ignore, had he? ...and this was more than just a little thing that he could let go and blame on his anxiety. He sighed softly as his eyes lowered to the waves gently lapping at the shore nearby.  
  
    He stayed there on the beach for quite some time, watching the sunrise and silently watching the tourists as they started to pour in. Tourist watching was a favorite hobby of his when he had the time and he'd always enjoyed the tourists when he was younger. Something about someone from across the ocean coming to visit his home filled him with a subtle sense of pride. People came all the way here just to see this and he got to see it whenever he wanted. It was his home. His mind wandered a bit as he glanced down the beach at Ten Karat Hill, thinking about the beachfront lab on the other side. Was that his home now? He wasn't sure. Turning away from the mountain, he looked up at the edge of the cliffs, the sounds of a bustling Hau'Oli city waking up behind him. Was that his home? Was it on Route 2 with his parents? Was it on Ula'ula with Nanu on Route 17? He didn't know and the more he thought about it, the more it brought him anxiety and nervous unrest. They all felt like home and none of them felt like home.  
  
    Standing slowly in the shadows, he dusted the sand off of himself and started back across the beach. A few tourists eyed him here or there, but for the most part no one seemed to recognize him. Good. Being recognized out of fear or worry by the people of Alola used to bring him joy, but now it only brought him dread. That wasn't him anymore and it frustrated him that he'd made that image for himself, now unable to escape it despite having changed. Had he really changed? He was questioning himself too deeply this morning, his mind unable to feel satisfied with something, but he didn't know what.  
  
    Guzma slowly and quietly trudged back up the steps and down the street toward the outskirts, softly humming and mumbling lyrics to a song under his breath. He wondered if they would be awake yet and even what time it was as he'd sat on beach for at least two hours. His stomach rumbled, but he ignored it, turning a corner to make his way down the beach to the lab. He paused as he wondered if he should knock. Did he need to knock? His fingers found the house key in his pocket and slowly traced one edge. Of course he didn't need to knock if he had a key, but the fact that he'd stopped to question it brought back the feelings of not having a place to call home from earlier. This wasn't his home... or least it didn't feel like it yet. Slowly, he pushed the door open to keep it from creaking, but was pleasantly surprised to see both of the professors awake.  
  
    Kukui was making something that smelled absolutely delicious and Burnet was sitting by him in the kitchen, talking to him while she went over a handful of files of things she has been working on. Their faces lit up upon seeing Guzma enter and both of them waved in greeting to him, Burnet making her way over to him.  
  
    "Good morning, sweetheart! We wondered where you went this morning" she giggled as she opened her arms to prompt him for a hug. He hesitated for a moment, but then gently slipped his arms around her. She clung to him, resting her head against his chest. Guzma paused as he felt that her hair was wet through his shirt and he carefully let go of her and pulled back.   
  
    "Your hair's wet." His tone was flat and lacking amusement as he scratched at the water on his shirt.  
  
    "Oh sorry! I forgot I just got out of the shower!" She fumbled around with her things for a moment before setting them down with her other files on the counter by Kukui.   
  
    "Are you running late again, honey?" Kukui called out to her, sprinkling some spices into whatever he was making. Whatever it was, it smelled good and Guzma's stomach growled in response. Burnet could be heard fumbling around in the bathroom for a few minutes before she hurried out with a comb.  
  
    "I feel like I'm perpetually late. I don't have time to eat  _and_  do my hair, sorry honey." She shoved a piece of rye toast in her mouth and then rushed back into the bathroom. Kukui turned to Guzma.  
  
    "You mind watching the stove for me, Guz?" Kukui smiled pleasantly to him and continued, "Don't worry, you just have to keep stirring the eggs to make sure they don't burn to the pan." Guzma stared for a moment, then nodded and made his way over to the stove. He really had no idea how to cook or how cooking even worked apart from how to make a grilled cheese and to reheat cold macaroni so he was somewhat in awe of all that had gone into making whatever the dish was, which he couldn't seem to figure out. In the meantime, Kukui hurried over and slipped into the bathroom.  
  
    "You need food before work, honey." His voice was firm, but with warmth and love. Burnet nodded to him, pausing to take a bite of the toast.  
  
    "I know that, that's why I grabbed the toast" she snickered, combing her hair and putting the toast back in her mouth to use her hand to grab a hair tie off the counter by the sink. Kukui sighed.  
  
    "Yeah, well... you need more than toast." Seemed he wasn't giving up on this one. Burnet knew he wouldn't let her go without and she knew her husband was the type to care enough about others' well-being enough to push on issues like this. She knew she wouldn't win.  
  
    "I'll stay and eat breakfast, but it has to be quick and I'm definitely going to be late." She quickly finished the toast and continued to work on her hair. Kukui slipped his arms around her, smiling softly.  
  
    "Come on. Breakfast now, hair later, yeah?" Kukui gave a gentle tug on her waist, though he was by no means forceful and didn't have any plans of moving her unless she wanted him to. She gave in, slipping the comb into her pocket and hurrying back out to the kitchen to collect her files and laptop.  
  
    "Yo Kukui, what'm I s'posed to do when it's done? I think it's done." Guzma was still stirring the eggs. In his haste to make sure his wife got a good meal, Kukui had temporarily forgotten that he left Guzma with the food. Rushing back over, he looked at the eggs and nodded, then turned the heat off and took the pan from him.  
  
    "Thanks, Guz. I got it from here" he answered, taking his place by the stove back again. Guzma shrugged, seemingly less than amused by his answer, and then made his way over to where Burnet was seated at the table. Pulling out the chair next to her, he sat beside her and leaned his elbow on the table.  
  
    "What's up, buttercup?" Guzma rhymed, grinning down at her lazily. Burnet pulled out a compact and started doing her makeup at the table while she waited for their food.  
  
    "Trying to hurry in hopes I won't be late... for once." She applied her mascara somewhat quickly, accidentally getting a dot of it on her nose. Frustrated, she wiped furiously at the spot only to leave a red splotch where her skin was irritated by her rubbing. She huffed in mild irritation.  
  
    "Ain't you kinda like the boss up there? I mean you set your own hours, right?" He tilted his head down to look up at her face and watched her apply the little bit of eyeliner she usually wore. Looking to him out of the corner of her eye, she chuckled softly as she seemingly found amusement in how he'd bent his head down and over to look at her. Seeing that she was amused by him, Guzma made a face at her, which got her laughing.  
  
    "I'm the head of the department, yeah, but that doesn't mean that I don't have to set a good example for others. If I'm late all the time then everyone else will think they can be late all the time, too." She paused every now and again to carefully apply a line of makeup and it wasn't long before she was finished. Guzma reached a hand over and snagged the comb out of her pocket, slipping it away from her with relative ease.  
  
    "Hey! I need that!" She called out at him, but he ignored her, grinning and turning the comb over in his hands. He quickly held it up over his head for a minute, grinning at her as she tried to grab at it, but was too short to get it from him.  
  
    "You two," Kukui started as he brought out the food and set it on the table, "be nice to each other." Guzma stood and ran the comb through his own hair, wincing and making a face as it caught on a snarl. Burnet dove up at him and tried to grab it from him, but he pulled it back.  
  
    "You eat, I'll worry 'bout your hair, a'ight?" He twirled the comb in his fingers, a warm little grin on his face. She wanted so badly to protest, but he was offering to do her hair for her to save time, which was surprisingly nice of him. She didn't want to question a good thing and begrudgingly sat back down. Neither of the professors really knew how much Guzma knew about styling hair, considering the state of his own, but both of them sat down and let Guzma do his thing.   
  
    Twirling the comb in his fingers, Guzma got to work brushing her hair. He held each strand near the base and gently pushed the comb through any knots or snarls, making sure to grip the base of the hair tightly to prevent it from tugging on her head at all. Despite being a bit clumsy, he was surprisingly gentle, almost as though he had done this before some somebody else. His mind wandered back to the face from earlier and his brow furrowed in response. Now was not the time for this. Not wanting to burden the professors, especially since Burnet was in a hurry, he forced the image out of his mind once more. He still felt the pangs of guilt and remorse, but focused instead on the soft white locks in his hands. There was no denying that her hair was lovely as it was soft to the touch and very fine, feeling almost like silk in his hands. He finished combing through it and paused to run his fingers through it, smiling to himself. His tenderness and soft gestures didn't go unnoticed by the professors, Burnet blushing slightly as she ate her meal and Kukui watching them with a warm smile on his face as he ate his. Few things made Kukui as happy as his wife and the only thing that touched his heart more than seeing her happy was seeing Guzma happy with her.   
  
    "How's that?" Guzma continued stroking her hair gently. Burnet melted at the feeling, being in sensory heaven. She nodded as she took another bite of the eggs before her.  
  
    "Amazing" she sighed, leaning back into his touch. Her pleased reaction caught Guzma a little bit off guard and he could feel his cheeks flush. He tried to mentally force the pink from his, but the more he tried the worse his blush got.  
  
    "A'ight, just sit tight. I think I know how ya do this." He went about putting her hair up in the way she usually did. He didn't get it perfectly, rather it was far from perfect, but Burnet didn't mind. Not really having any way to curl the locks in front of her ears left them wavy instead of their usual curls and her ponytail went uncurled as well. Despite looking a bit less done-up than usual, both boys noticed it was very becoming of her. They both generally thought every look was becoming of her. Giving her hair a few more gentle strokes with his fingers, Guzma reluctantly let go and sat down in the chair he'd pulled out beside her earlier. There was a moment of silence as they all let the events of the morning sink in and took the time just to really feel each other's presence. Guzma couldn't help but feel at ease here. Maybe this was what it felt like to have a place to call home? He wasn't sure, but he didn't want to spoil the moment, so he stayed quiet. Unsurprisingly, Burnet broke the silence.  
  
    "I have to go now. You boys will behave while I'm gone, won't you?" She glanced between them with a loving little smile. Kukui nodded vigorously to her while Guzma sat with an amused grin on his face.  
  
    "I always behave, honey." Reaching across the table, Kukui put a hand over hers, his thumb rubbing her knuckles softly. Both of them smiled to one another, being able to read each other's mood with only a look. Feeling a bit left out, Guzma chimed in.  
  
    "I make no promises." It seemed that was usually his response when asked to behave. Both professors knew he wouldn't do anything too brash, but they still worried about him sometimes due to his current mental state and his accident prone nature. Of course, Guzma wasn't really accident prone, per-se, but was actually just hard-headed and had a tendency to act first and ask questions later. They were trying to accommodate Guzma's antics as part of accepting him into their home, but they still frequently worried about him, this time being no exception. Grinning, he made a playful gesture with his hands.  
  
    "Sheesh, with the looks on your faces you'd think I'da toldja I was gonna go commit a felony." That didn't ease the professors' tension at all as they weren't sure if Guzma actually had the means or motivations to commit a felony. He deflated and went over the situation in his mind the way Hala had taught him. With a hesitant look on his face, he glanced up at them both.  
  
    "You guys know I'm only kiddin' right? Y-Ya boy wouldn't do nothin'  _too_  bad." His eyes darted back to the floor as he felt his cheeks flush again. He wanted to crawl under the table, but was pleasantly surprised by a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at Burnet, who was the one who had touched him. Kukui slowly made his way around to the other side of him to put his hand on his other shoulder. Suddenly Guzma wasn't sure what to do with all the positive attention on him, glancing hurriedly back and forth between the two.  
  
    "We just want to make sure you're okay, sweetheart" Burnet's voice was filled to the brim with warmth and Guzma was struggling to understand that tone as it wasn't one that was used around him frequently.   
  
    "We love you" Kukui added, leaning in closer to him as his wife nodded in agreement. Guzma froze and stared intently down at the food on his plate. He didn't know what to say in response to something like that. What  _should_  he say in response to that? That he loved them too? He didn't know if he loved them. He didn't really love anyone, right? He thought about his parents for a moment. Did he love them? What about Hala, who was quickly becoming his mentor and father-figure? He didn't know. The professors, while meaning well, could tell that he didn't know how to respond. Rubbing his shoulder affectionately, Kukui leaned in a little closer.  
  
    "It's okay. You don't have to say anything, yeah?" His hand cupped his chin and his other arm found its way around his waist. Burnet nodded and rested her head against his other shoulder with her arm around him as well.

 

 

  
  
    "Yeah, when we tell you that we love you, it's not to get you to say it back. That's your decision. We just want you to know how we feel." She spoke gently and glanced up at him to gauge how he was feeling. Unlike her husband, Guzma was harder to read as he wasn't even sure of his own feelings. Deciding not to press him any further, both of them slowly let go of him and silently decided to give him his space. This wasn't the reaction Guzma wanted and he quickly glanced between them.  
  
    "Wait, y'all don't gotta leave!" His voice was nearly a whine and he winced internally at how that came out. Burnet's eyes had been focused on the clock as she turned back to him.   
  
    "Actually, we do." Burnet pointed to the clock with her thumb and Kukui nodded along with her.  
  
    "Yeah, I have a lot of work to get done today too, actually." Guzma understood that both of them had other things to do than sit and shower him with affection all day and he wasn't even entirely sure if he wanted their affection or not. One thing was for certain, though, and that was that he didn't want to go without it.  
  
    "A'ight, y'all do your thing." As he went to stand he was stopped by both of Burnet's hands on his collarbones. He glanced down at her questioningly.  
  
    "A kiss from my boy before I have to go?" Her eyes sparkled softly with withdrawn excitement as she stared down at him. He hesitated ever so slightly, but he couldn't resist and leaned in for her to kiss him. She didn't take her time like she usually did, instead pressing a light, but very warm kiss on his lips before she grabbed another piece of toast and turned to kiss her husband. Kukui slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close as he returned her affection, not wanting to pull his lips away from hers. Guzma watched them with an amused little grin on his face as he stuffed a piece of toast into his own mouth. Damn, he hadn't realized how hungry he was.  
  
    Satisfied with her kisses, Burnet waved to them both before slipping out the door. Both boys watched her go with content smiles, but it wasn't long before she returned, hurriedly rushing back through the door.  
  
    "Forgot my stuff." Scooping up her bag with her files and laptop she waved with a nervous little chuckle and headed back out the doors. Kukui chuckled and glanced to Guzma, who looked back at him.  
  
    "I have to hurry out today, too. Will you be alright by yourself, Guz?" He made his way over to him with a reassuring smile on his face. Guzma shrugged.  
  
    "I guess. What're you in such a hurry for?"  
  
    "Promised I'd help Kahalo teach his Rattata a TM and then I've got to swing by Hala's to chat at some new trial-goers. You got any plans today?" Guzma had to pause and think. He didn't really have any plans, but he didn't want to admit that.  
  
    "Uhh yeah I've got some stuff goin' on, but nothin' big."  
  
    "Woo! Seems we're all on the move today, huh? Well, take care." He hesitated, his hand reaching out, but stopping and lowering again. He wanted so badly to give him a kiss goodbye like he had with his wife, but he knew he likely wasn't ready for something like that. Guzma glanced down at the other's hand extending, but then back up at his face. He could tell what he wanted and he secretly wanted it too, but wasn't sure how to go about asking for it. The two of them stood there for a moment, staring at each other in awkward silence.  
  
    "Umm... s-see ya, Kukui."  
  
    "Y-yeah! Haha, see you, Guzma."  
  
    Neither of them moved. This was even more awkward now. Guzma turned away to avoid eye contact and Kukui took that as a sign to leave. There was another short moment of hesitation as he debated if he needed to say goodbye again, but he decided against it and turned to grab his things and hurry out the door.   
  
    Guzma sat in the chair as he looked over the empty plates on the table, then down at his own plate still full of food that was quickly getting cold. He was so hungry, but for reason he couldn't get himself to eat more than a few bites and a piece of toast. What was with him today? Either way he had to decide what he was going to do today. He just stared ahead as he thought about it. What was he going to do? He didn't know.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably be changing the description of this as I add chapters. I don't plan on it being particularly long.


End file.
